A
valuable comprehensive survey of a vital phase in Toscanini’s
long career and one that corrects many misconceptions about the
considerable achievements of one of the 20th century’s
greatest maestros. … see Full
Review

Yevgeny Svetlanov, who died
on 3rd May in Moscow, was one of the most mercurial of Russias
post-war conductors  both in his temperament and his music-making.
A frequent visitor to Britain he was due to conduct the Philharmonia
on Sunday 5th May in a typical programme of Russian masterworks,
music in which he excelled. Over the years, British orchestras,
the LSO, LPO and BBC SO amongst them, entrusted the symphonies
of Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov and Shostakovich to Svetlanovs
impulsive style of interpretation. But it was the Philharmonia
with which he established the most long lasting relationship
 one that started in the early 1970s and continued almost
annually thereafter. It was rare indeed to find a Philharmonia
season in which Svetlanov did not conduct at least one concert.
It is, therefore, somewhat ironic that he recorded so little
with the orchestra, although the recording he made with the
Philharmonia of Glazunovs Four Seasons is a very
fine one.

His style of interpretation
owed much to Mravinsky  and like him, Svetlanov was capable
of securing a fabulous string sound from his players. His own
USSR Orchestra had a profoundly sonorous string tone, and this
was something which he partly relished in the European orchestras
he guest conducted. Svetlanov never cared much for the brass
or woodwind in an orchestra and in Russia at least the sound
was often pungent and coarse. If it never sounded too distracting
it was partly because Svetlanovs interpretations inhabited
a similar world. I remember a couple of years ago a Mahler 9th
which Svetlanov conducted with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra
 a performance as dynamic in extremes and explorative
in manner as it would be possible to hear today, and a lifetime
away from the refined interpretations so often heard in London,
Berlin and Vienna. It was a cataclysmic performance which reached
real heights of greatness in the great string perorations of
the final movement. Typical Svetlanov.

His last concert in Britain
was with the BBC SO and critics noticed the sublime playing
of an orchestra clearly enjoying the opportunity to play with
an inspirational conductor. His concerts were rarely less than
inspirational events.

A difficult, even obtuse,
man Svetlanov communicated with orchestras only through interpreters
 and in one famous instance, with the LPO, by saying absolutely
nothing at all for an entire hour and a half of rehearsal; the
results were sublime and emphatic in the concert performance.
Latterly he had spent much time in the Netherlands and guest
conducting elsewhere, a position in part thrust upon Svetlanov
by his summary dismissal as chief conductor of his USSR Orchestra
two years ago, a position he had held without interruption since
the 1960s. His sudden death robs us of a huge talent it is difficult
to imagine being replaced: a younger generation of Russian conductors
have become a little too westernised to give us the sort of
authentic Russian performance Svetlanov excelled at.

Marc Bridle

This year's Proms season has
just been announced and it looks like being a vintage season
with opera and choral works forming the backbone of this greatest
of music festivals. HIghlights of the season must include Prom
30, a performance of Mahler's Eighth Symphony conducted by Simon
Rattle (National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain) and Prom
44 a pairing of Martha Argerich and Claudio Abbado with the
Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester in Bartok, Ravel (the G major
piano concerto) and Debussy. Also promising to be of outstanding
interest are three concerts by the Kirov Opera under Gergiev,
including a complete performance of Boris Godunov and the UK
premiere of Sofia Gubaidulina's St John Passion. They conclude
their visit to the Proms with a performance of Prokofiev's Third
Piano Concerto (Toradze) and Shostakovich's Fourth Symphony.
Bryn Terfel and Renee Fleming sing together in a Welsh National
Orchestra Prom spanning Wagner, Strauss, Mozart and light music
whilst there is a rare performance of Schoenberg's Romantic
masterpiece Gurrelieder under the BBC SO and Donald Runnicles.
Visiting orchestras come from Spain, France, Denmark and Holland
with Riccardo Chailly conducting his Royal Concertgebouw in
Mahler's Third Symphony. The Los Angeles Philharmonic under
their chief conductor, Esa Pekka Salonen, play two concerts
the first of Debussy, Ravel and Prokofiev and in their second
concert take on this years Choral Symphony (coupled with Shostakovich's
Second). James Levine makes a welcome return to the Proms with
the wonderful Munich Philharmonic Orchestra in an enterprising
programme of HIndemith, Mozart, Varese (Ameriques) and Ravel.
The LSO have two Proms this year - one under Jansons the other
under Haitink, whilst the Philharmonia bring with them their
Music Director, Christoph von Dohnanyi in Strauss, Beethoven
and Dvorak. The LPO play Elijah under their chief conductor
Kurt Masur.

Full details of all Proms can be read on the BBC's website at:
www.bbc.co.uk/proms. Seen & Heard will be covering much
of the season.

Marc Bridle

MusicWeb is planning its first
recording
of previously unrecorded orchestral pieces by Arthur
Butterworth. If you would wish to part-sponsor that
recording please contact len@musicweb-international.com

Did you know
you could help sponsora new recording for
as little as £10 - a symphony for £25? such
as this one now reviewed here:GRAHAM
WHETTAM Sinfonia
Intrepida BBCSO/Sir Charles
Mackerras. Redcliffe Recordings
RR016 (44' 11'') [PC] Read on

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